Lewandowski helps Bayern back to top as Leipzig lose

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

BERLIN (Reuters) - Champions Bayern Munich reclaimed top spot in the Bundesliga after crushing VfL Wolfsburg 5-0 on Saturday as RB Leipzig slumped to their first loss of the season -- a 1-0 defeat at strugglers Ingolstadt.

Arjen Robben put the dominant hosts ahead with a trademark move down the right and a superbly curled left-footed shot in the 22nd before Robert Lewandowski tapped in for a two-goal lead four minutes later.

The Pole replicated his move on the hour to turn in a Thomas Mueller shot before the attacking midfielder then turned scorer, finally breaking his goal drought this season after having failed to score for 999 minutes.

”I am happy for Thomas, that he scored today,“ Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters. ”But he always does a very good job on the pitch even if he does not score.

“It was a very good performance from us.”

Brazilian Douglas Costa completed the rout in the 86th minute to lift Bayern to 33 points, ahead of Leipzig on goal difference.

Wolfsburg are just a point above the relegation zone in 15th place, without a win in their last four matches.

Promoted Leipzig’s sensational start to the season came to a halt after eight consecutive victories when Brazilian Roger’s glancing first-half header earned struggling Ingolstadt only their second win of the campaign.

The hosts, whose win enabled them to climb off the bottom, had to endure an hour of pressure as Leipzig sought the goal that would have kept them top, and Emil Forsberg missed a golden chance in the 88th minute to equalise from four metres out.

Ingolstadt were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time after the dismissal of Mathew Leckie.

Hertha Berlin failed to make ground on the top two, losing 1-0 at home against improving Werder Bremen, courtesy of Max Kruse’s winner late in the first half, leaving them in third place on 27 points.

Werder ended Hertha’s perfect home record this season with their first away victory in 11 matches, to climb to 13th.

Borussia Dortmund continued their erratic domestic form and needed another late goal from Marco Reus, who brought his side back to 2-2 at Real Madrid in midweek, to snatch a 1-1 draw at Cologne and stay in sixth spot

Hamburg SV had Lewis Holtby dismissed in the 44th minute for elbowing an opponent and Augsburg’s Dominiko Kohr was sent off midway through the second half as the home side earned a scrappy 1-0 win to earn their second straight win and move up to 16th place.